BNSF Platte River Bridge (Farley)

Farley, Platte County, Missouri

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Name	BNSF Platte River Bridge (Farley) Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Bridge #20.50
Built By	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown (Truss Span) American Bridge Company of New York (Through Girder Spans)
Length	486 Feet Total, 200 Foot Main Span
Width	2 Tracks, 1 In Use
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Baltimore Through Truss, Through Plate Girder and Concrete Slab
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1910 (90-foot spans) 1916 (51-foot span) 1946 (truss span and slabs)
Traffic Count	30 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Bridge Number	20.50
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	20.50
Significance	Moderate Significance
Documentation Date	9/4/2016

In 1859, the Council Bluffs and St. Joseph Railroad Company (CB&StJ) began construction on 51 miles of new railroad, extending from Council Bluffs, Iowa to the Missouri State Line near Hamburg, Iowa. At the same time, the Platte County Railroad (PCR) began construction on 35 miles of new railroad, extending from St. Joseph, Missouri to Weston, Missouri. Work on this section was completed in 1861. In 1863, the Missouri Valley Railroad (MVR) began construction on an additional 25 miles of railroad, extending from North Kansas City to Winthrop, completing this segment in 1867. The same year, the MVR acquired the Platte County Railroad, and the CB&StJ began construction on an additional 81 miles of railroad, extending from the State Line to St. Joseph, Missouri. Work on the first section of the CB&StJ would be completed in 1868, and work on the second section would be completed in 1869. The MVR and CB&StJ consolidated to form the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad (KCStJ&CB) in 1870.

By 1901, railroads throughout the United States were consolidating. The KCStJ&CB would be acquired by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in 1901. The CB&Q had acquired and constructed a large railroad network throughout the Midwest, and this route provided a direct connection between Kansas City and Council Bluffs/Omaha. Double tracking of the Napier to Kansas City segment of the line began in 1908, including segments from Kansas City to Waldron, Weston to Armour, St. Joseph to Nodaway and Curzions to Napier. Further double tracking would be completed in the 1910s and 1920s, including segments from Nodaway to Forbes in 1913, Forbes to Curzions in 1917, Waldron to Beverly in 1920, Beverly to Weston in 1922, and Iatan to St. Joseph segment at an unknown date. Much of the second track was removed in the late 1950s, after this segment of line became of reduced importance after the CB&Q constructed a new cutoff line from Brookfield to Kansas City. CB&Q merged with Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1970. In 1996, BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway, the current owner of this line. The North Kansas City to Napier segment forms the southern half of the St. Joseph Subdivision, and the Napier to Pacific Junction, Iowa segment forms the Napier Subdivision. The Pacific Junction to Council Bluffs segment of this line is part of the Council Bluffs Subdivision.

Located along Missouri Route 45 near Farley, this large through truss bridge crosses the Platte River. The previous bridge at this location was likely a wooden or iron truss. In 1910, the bridge would be replaced by three 90-foot through plate girder spans as part of a double tracking project. In 1916, an additional 51-foot through plate girder span would be added to each end, and nine 14-foot concrete slab spans constructed. In 1945, severe flooding washed out one of the 90-foot and one of the 51-foot spans, near the center of the bridge. A temporary trestle was installed until a permanent fix could be made. The following year, a 200-foot, 8-panel riveted Baltimore through truss span would be installed, and the two remaining 90-foot and one 51-foot through plate girder spans shifted in the bridge to accommodate the new span. The bridge would be approached by a 25-foot concrete slab span on the south end, and a 16-foot and a 14-foot concrete slab span on the north end. The entire bridge would be set onto concrete substructures.

The truss span utilizes design characteristics typical of a late 1940s truss bridge, with solid members, heavy riveted connections and a ballast deck. The portal of the bridge utilizes a double intersection lattice design. The through girder spans also uses ballast decks, and have deep tapered edges, typical of CB&Q bridges. This bridge is an example of how railroads often repaired bridges. Often, when a derailment, flood or other disaster occurred, the railroad would build a temporary wooden bridge, and reuse what spans they could, often altering the substructures of the bridge and placement of the spans in the process. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. Other than painting in 1973, there appears to have been no significant alterations to this bridge since the 1946 reconstruction. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.

Citations

Build dates (through girder spans)	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Valuation Summary at the Newberry Library
Builder (through girder spans)	Missing American Bridge Company plaque
Build date (truss)	Historic newspaper articles
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele